Ghalib is a partner in Quinn Emanuel's Dubai and Abu Dhabi offices. He represents clients in complex commercial disputes through international arbitration, DIFC and ADGM Courts, and the UAE onshore courts. He practices fluently in Arabic and English.
Ghalib focuses his practice on restructuring/insolvency, cross border corporate fraud investigations, asset tracing, and enforcement matters for multinational corporations and high-net-worth individuals. He has acted in the largest restructuring and bankruptcy proceedings in the Middle East and has assisted both debtors and creditors. He has also help defend multinational companies in multimillion dollar claims through the courts in the UAE, NY and the UK.
Earlier in his career, Ghalib practiced at a US litigation firm, handling cross-border disputes and various civil litigation matters. He previously worked with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Ghalib holds full rights of audience before the DIFC Courts, one of few UAE-based lawyers with this qualification. He has lectured on UAE enforcement and anti-bribery laws for Seton Hall's Middle East Healthcare Compliance Program and MECOMED and is a certified lecturer with the Dubai Legal Affairs Department and has lectured frequently on the UAE Bankruptcy Law.
- Successfully advised and represented the KBBO Group, its subsidiaries and its ultimate shareholders in relation to a first of its kind restructuring in the Abu Dhabi courts. The claims submitted and published by the Trustees as at 9 November 2021 exceeded USD 8.2 billion. In April 2023, the Abu Dhabi Court issued a decision confirming that the total final value of approved creditor claims was approximately AED 2 billion and all debts and claims were then successfully restructured.
- Advise and represent a state of the art and one of its kinds healthcare institution in ongoing bankruptcy and restructuring proceedings before the Dubai Courts with claims of more than USD 191 million (against several corporate onshore and free zone entities and the personal guarantees from its founder and chairman) and simultaneously defend and advise its multi-national shareholders and board against potential personal liability (both civil and criminal).
- Advise and represent a family established logistic and tobacco trading group with some of the largest quantities of agencies in the UAE with debt of about USD 218 million, in an aim to navigate through the UAE tax law/government penalties and secured creditors and achieve a restructuring.
- Advise and represent a multinational laboratory investigate and recover funds siphoned by local managers and work to help impose immediate travel bans to ensure the managers do not flee and funds are properly recovered.
- Successfully recover millions for a client following a decision to pierce the corporate veil in a judgment of about USD 11 million by utilizing the Dubai Courts, SDNY and the DIFC Courts to trace and attach assets to help satisfy the judgment debt.
- Middle East & North Africa Practice
- Artificial Intelligence
- Bankruptcy & Restructuring
- Blockchain and Digital Asset Practice
- Corporate Governance Litigation
- Crisis Law & Strategy Group
- Global Asset Recovery Practice
- International Arbitration
- International Disputes
- Health Care Litigation
- Investigations, Government Enforcement & White Collar Criminal Defense Practice
- Investment Fund Litigation
- Life Sciences Litigation
- Seton Hall University School of Law, J.D. (2016)
- Rutgers University, B.A. (2011)
- New Jersey State Bar
- New York State Bar
- District of Columbia Bar
- England and Wales
- English
- Arabic
- Chambers Global 2025 - Restructuring/Insolvency: Onshore Court Litigation
- Ranked among “Top 10 UAE Domestic Lawyers influencing Dispute Resolution in 2023”, Business TodayRanked in Chambers Global 2023 and 2022 for Dispute Resolution;
- “Ghalib Mahmoud is everything you need him to be. He's calm under pressure, gives pragmatic advice and he's very smart.” “I would describe Ghalib as knowledgeable and client-friendly. He knows the penal code back to front.” Legal 500 2022
- International Bar Association
- Middle East Healthcare Compliance Certified